"The HCA-LB heavy cargo aircraft project" Topic

"The Zhukovsky Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI, a member of the National Research Center "Institute named after N.E.Zhukovsky") is demonstrating the results of its scientific and experimental research at the MAKS airshow. Among others concepts is a mock-up of its "Heavy Cargo Aircraft Lifting Body" (HCA-LB) unveiled in January 2017.

The future heavy transport plane is being developed to haul big cargo weighing up to "500 metric tons of containerized freights from with speed of 500 km/h at distance above 6,000 km," declared TsAGI representative. Standard containers can be used. They are supposed to be accommodated by the cargo bays in the wings and boarded through hatches of the forebody slats of the plane's central part.

The plane is planned to be operated by relevant airfields. The main part of the flight is performed by planes of the type at an altitude of 3-12 meters above water, ice or the ground.

Such surfaces create the ground effect that increases the aerodynamic quality and, as a result, reduces fuel consumption and boosts the range…."

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Armand

3-12m above ground level? That would be correctly referred to as an ekranoplan.